BATMAN LANDS DIRECTOR

Warner Bros. is moving forward with its next Batman flick, officially signing indie director Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem For A Dream) to helm the fifth installment, Variety reports. Titled Batman: Year One, the film will chronicle "Bruce Wayne's first year as Batman, including the self-doubts and blunders he had to overcome in order to emerge as a full-blown crimefighter." There's no word on who will assume the title role, previously played by Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer and George Clooney. Brad Pitt recently met with Aronofsky, inciting a flurry of speculation that he was in the running. Pitt's handlers, however, denied the rumors.